Saturday, March 26, 2022

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Sweet 16, Day 2




Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: St. Peter's vs Purdue. How are they doing this? This plucky program from Jersey City now finds itself as the first No. 15 seed to ever make the Elite 8. Shaheen Holloway has outcoached everyone he faced in the tournament thus far, with his guards defending at a high level and being poised as if they are supposed to be here. Well ... they are supposed to be here.

UPSET OF THE DAY: St. Peter's vs Purdue.  Amazing that a No. 15 seed has made it to the Elite 8. Even more amazing that they did so despite not having an outstanding offensive performance. The Peacocks rely on their defensive pressure and the ability to seem like there are seven players out there. I was big on Purdue early on in the season and must say was very surprised that they fell in this game.

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: ACC. With North Carolina and Miami winning, the ACC has placed three teams in the Elite 8. Amazing that a league that looked like it was on its downswing in the lone conference who placed multiple teams in the regional finals ... and three schools at that.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big Ten. With Purdue gone, the Big Ten is gone. They still haven't won a national championship since 2000 despite placing nine teams in the field this year. Nine teams and none lasted past the Sweet 16. 

DUD OF THE DAY: Miami vs Iowa State. In a game featuring two double-digit seeds, this one wasn't close. Kameron McGusty had a huge game (27 points) and the Canes held the Cyclones to 32% shooting for the game and pulled away late for the 70-56 win and Miami's first regional finals appearance.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Miami vs Iowa State. Miami wasn't completely dominant, but in a night with three close games, the Hurricanes' 14-point win looks that way

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: St. Peter's. Sorry for continuing to harp on this, but St. Peter's has become one of the biggest Cinderella's in the history of the tournament. If they find a way to beat North Carolina on Sunday afternoon, they likely head to the top of the list. 

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